Suresh Bharwaney, branch president of Edgware and Stanmore Rotary Club, arranged for his family-run business in the Liberian capital to supply A4 paper, a photocopier and cartridge to the Rotary Club of Monvoria, which passed them on to the Ministry of Health

A Rotarian with family in Ebola-hit Liberia has answered an SOS from the west African country for administrative supplies - and now has helped launched a wider fundraising appeal to help stop the deadly virus.

Suresh Bharwaney, president of Edgware and Stanmore Rotary Club, has relatives in the stricken land and his club relief efforts began in September when he received a call for help from the Rotary Club of Monrovia in the Liberian capital.

The 54-year-old owns Royal Stationary Stores in Monrovia, which was run by his father before him, and gave permission for the business to hand over 10 reams of A4 paper, a photocopier and cartridge to the rotary club, which passed it on to the Ministry of Health.

Mr Bharwaney, who is married and lives in Edgware, said watching the Ebola tragedy develop on TV had been difficult.

He said: "I lived there for 25 years, and my younger sister was born there. So it’s personal for me."I have no family living there now, and I hire managers to run the shop. Thankfully they are all safe and healthy."I wanted to go back and help but my family have told me not until the situation is better.“"From what reports fiends have told me I’m hoping the situation is slowly getting better."Thankfully, everyone I know there is safe and sound.

"One day I will go back if my family permits me."

Brian Jonson from Marlow Rotary Club, left, with Peter Bradley, a former president of Edgware and Stanmore Rotary Club, launching a fundraising Ebola poster campaign

Peter Bradley, a former president of Edgware and Stanmore Rotary Club who is spearheading the Rotary Club’s UK-wide response to the Ebola outbreak along with Rotarians in Marlow in Buckinghamshire. said: “Supplying a large amount of paper might not be glamorous, but it is very useful in a country currently as poor as Liberia.

“Suresh’s gift means hundreds of lives can now be saved because he provided the paper which was urgently needed for tracing contacts.”

The rotary club has launched a poster campaign to encourage the public to make donations.

The campaign, which is a collaboration between the rotary group and the Stanmore Chamber of Trade, has seen at least half-a-dozen shops put collection tins on their counter.

Mr Bradley, who is district chairman of 65 clubs in London for international projects, said people who donate will be able to see where their money has gone.

He said: “Non Government Organisations lose 15 to 47 per cent in administration. We don’t have that problem. We are all volunteers so every penny goes where its needed without any deductions. And we are able to quickly tell people what their money was spent on. They can actually see where it has gone. They will feel a little bit more personally involved."